Can I Survive Breast Cancer? What Is My Prognosis?

It may be difficult to ask the question, "Can I survive this?" But it's a question that will probably be on your mind if you are diagnosed with breast cancer. The answer can be just as hard as the question.

Your chance for recovery depends on a number of factors:

Type and location of the cancer

Stage of the cancer (how much cancer is present)

How quickly the cancer is likely to grow and spread

Your age and general health

How you respond to treatment

Before discussing your prognosis with you, your doctor carefully considers all the things that could affect your disease and treatment. Your doctor will then try to predict what seems likely to happen. To do that, he or she will look at what researchers have found out over many years about thousands of people with breast cancer. When possible to make a prediction, your doctor uses statistics based on groups of people whose situations are most like yours.

If your cancer is likely to respond well to treatment, your doctor will say you have a favorable prognosis. If the cancer is likely to be hard to control, your prognosis may be unfavorable. It is important to keep in mind, though, that a prognosis states what is probable. It is not a prediction of what will happen to you. No doctor can be absolutely certain about outcomes.

Some people find it easier to cope when they know their prognosis and the statistics for how well a treatment might work. Other people find statistical information confusing and frightening. Or they think it is too general to be useful. The doctor most familiar with your situation is in the best position to discuss your prognosis and to explain what the statistics may mean for you. At the same time, you should keep in mind that your prognosis may change. A favorable prognosis can change if your cancer progresses. An unfavorable one can change if treatment is successful. The decision to ask about your prognosis is a personal one. It is up to you to decide how much you want to know.

Overall, breast cancer survival rates have increased significantly during the past 2 decades. New therapies are emerging every year.

Can I be cured of breast cancer?

It's normal to worry about what breast cancer will mean for you and your family. You may have questions such as, "What are my chances of being cured?" or "How long will I live?" Your doctor considers the likelihood of the following outcomes when making your prognosis:

Your chance of being cured of cancer, called recovery

Your chance of having the cancer come back, called recurrence

Your chance of dying of the cancer

To make your prognosis, your doctor will use these facts:

The typical outcome for people with breast cancer similar to yours. (The average of all these experiences makes up breast cancer statistics.)

Your doctor's experiences with other patients who have breast cancer.

Your own case. Your doctor will look specifically at the type, stage, and traits of your cancer. Your general health is also considered, including whether you've had cancer before. Your age and whether you've reached menopause can also affect your prognosis.

Ask your doctor to help you understand what the statistics may mean for you. But keep in mind that even your doctor cannot tell you exactly what will happen to you.

It makes sense to plan for every eventuality when you're facing a potentially deadly disease. Still, you should not allow statistics or a bleak prediction from your doctor to dictate your future. People have survived every stage of breast cancer. People have also outlived their doctor's predictions. Your prognosis gives a perspective, but it is not etched in stone. Try to focus your thoughts on the tens of thousands of people who have survived breast cancer.

What does the 5-year survival rate mean?

Survival rates show the percentage of people with a certain type and stage of cancer who survive the disease for a certain period of time after they are diagnosed. A 5-year survival rate is the percentage of people who are alive 5 years after they are diagnosed. These are the people it includes:

Those who are free of disease

Those who have few or no signs or symptoms of cancer

Those who continue to get treatment for cancer

Many people included in the 5-year rate live much longer than 5 years after diagnosis. Also, because the statistic is based on people diagnosed and initially treated more than 5 years ago, it's possible the outlook could be better today. People who are more recently diagnosed often have a more favorable outlook. That's because of changes in the way cancer is treated.

Survival rates are based on large groups of people. They cannot be used to predict what will happen to a particular person. No two patients are exactly the same. Treatment and responses to treatment vary greatly.

What are the treatment statistics for people with breast cancer?

Breast cancer is a very treatable disease if you're diagnosed early. How long you live depends on the stage at which it's found. These are some of the statistics about the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer:

The 5-year survival rate for stage I breast cancer is 100 percent. Stage I breast cancer means the tumor is small and contained within your breast, or there are only tiny amounts in your lymph nodes in your arm pit.

The 5-year survival rate for stage IIA breast cancer is 93 percent. Stage IIA means the tumor is small, but affects your lymph nodes, or is a little larger with no lymph nodes involved.

The 5-year survival rate for stage IIIA breast cancer is 72 percent. Stage IIIA means the tumor has spread to lymph nodes, but not to distant sites.

The 5-year survival rate for stage IV breast cancer is 22 percent. Stage IV means the cancer has spread to other organs.